How can I make money playing video games?

[icm]

Have any of you made any money playing video games? If so, how? Also, what are some good careers to get into if you're really interested in video games?

I just watched this video and it has some good suggestions clip.mn/video/yt-mIkGK-Aaxf4 (sorry, can't provide direct links yet), but I'm looking for more details and actual experiences.

[ro9ue]

The 3 Eternal Questions of the Human Race:

1. What is the meaning of life?
2. What happens when we die?
3. How can I make money playing video games?

Seriously tho either apply as a game tester for a company or come up with some interesting content for Twitch/YouTube.

[zito]

Video game testing but you will need to be in the right area for that. Or youtube/twitch if you are interesting.

[zealo]

Pick up a game with an E-sport side and become extremely good at it or try to get into professional game reviewing. Only way to make money by "playing" games would be these two.

There's also trying to get hired in a QA position in development but I'm hesitant to call that playing, its really more about trying to break the game by doing various repetitive actions and reproduce bugs. Requires good technical knowledge.

[Rotted]

Most game testers don't gget paid,

Unless your serious about earning a living with it and intend to go into higher education with it, to be blunt you need to pull your head out of the clouds,

Someone else mentioned youtube etc. you can try that, but you need to be a shit hot player, (most) of the time, attractive, in shape, but most of all confidence and a sense of humour, if you stutter making videos or speak low or a boring personality it isn't going to work

[Ghul]

streaming on twitch and get popular?

[Bluesftw]

stream on twitch , beg for donations / do retarded shit for donations / actually have personality and be interesting and get donations

[DiscoGhost]

esports - going to independent tournaments? starcrat2, league of legends, dota, counterstrike, madden
gambling?
streaming?

[Fencers]

Realize that the video game industry is exactly that- an industry. Business, programming, marketing, organizational, managerial and artistic skills are vital. More so than your love of Contra or World of Warcraft.

Certainly it does not hurt to enjoy video games. But having a business degree, knowing how to program or knowing how marketing actually works is far more a reliable entry into the multi-billion dollar video game industry. The industry is about money, making lots of it, if you do not know how to function in the business world your battleship is already sunk.

Having worked in the industry myself I find it shocking at times how ignorant consumers are of what is actually necessary to just have a functioning development studio Least of all silly, illogical and fantastical calls for "changing the engine", "balance" or "fun". It is such a fucking disconnect from the manner in which video games need to made for profit.

It's like music really. People that are not professional musicians sometimes have this fantasy that all the music making is taking place at the proverbial crossroads, that everyone in a band are friends & live together or that Nas rolled into the studio laced fresh from the block before cutting a verse.

The truth is more mundane and workmanlike in the music biz. So too for video games; can you program? Can you manage a deadline? Do you know how create project timelines, create data summary tables, deliver topline data by EOD, et cetera.

If you want to get famous via streaming: be authentic, be funny and consistent. Ziggy D doesn't stream or push content wheneverthefuck. He treats it like his 9-5. Pewdiepie is business savvy, understands how to market himself and constantly dials into what the audience expects. Professional players are professional players.

Forget about games as "fun". They are your job, and your job is fun at times.

[meheez]

You either create or consume tbh.

[Kuja]

Youtube. People make millions there if they make their channel go viral. So prepare to spend a ton in advertising :P

And either be really bad at games, or very good. If you're decent, it's not an option unless you're funny.

Twitch is also a good option, but a lot more time consuming.

[Deleted]

Have any of you made any money playing video games? If so, how? Also, what are some good careers to get into if you're really interested in video games?

I just watched this video and it has some good suggestions clip.mn/video/yt-mIkGK-Aaxf4 (sorry, can't provide direct links yet), but I'm looking for more details and actual experiences.

Work for your government, and you can play all day (joke)

I don't know though.